


i need to tell you something ( i really, really, really )

by minijhi



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Work and Romance, cliché central, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 14:11:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11602266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minijhi/pseuds/minijhi
Summary: Prompt:Baekhyun is a game developer who needs some music for his upcoming game about cute cooking bunnies.  Yixing is a composer who likes cute bunnies and Baekhyun’s smile.





	i need to tell you something ( i really, really, really )

**Author's Note:**

> For Prompt #57, which stole my heart at first sight. I've been trying to write fluff for a hundred years and I'm definitely still learning, but I hope you'll enjoy the read! 
> 
> P.S. Don't forget to check out the other fics from this fest too, lovely baekxing has returned!

 

“Your latest song is horribly depressing.” Is the first thing Jongdae says when he picks up Yixing’s call. He’s sitting on the balcony at five in the evening wearing baby-pink pajamas, and Yixing groans silently. He knows for a fact that Jongdae’s balcony is visible from the streets, and it’s going to be all over the internet tomorrow. _‘SPOTTED: Kim Jongdae wearing pink (again) while talking on the phone! Who is he talking to? What are they talking about?’_

“Hello to you too, Jongdae.” Yixing says. 

Jongdae sits up, jostling the phone as he makes himself comfortable. “I was talking to Chanyeol yesterday and he said he has someone he wants to introduce you to. He thinks you guys would be a perfect match.”

“The last person Chanyeol said that about was you.” Yixing says. “I’m not sure Chanyeol’s knows what he’s talking about.”

“I don’t know what _you’re_ talking about.” Jongdae says. “You love me.”

Unfortunately, Yixing does. Chanyeol had introduced them at an album release party years ago. At the time, Yixing had just moved to Seoul and Jongdae had spoken to him in cheery, halting Mandarin, then dragged him onto the dance floor. They’d formed an impressively solid friendship by the end of the night, despite how many times Yixing’s toes were stepped on.

Finding out the next morning that Jongdae was CHEN, a newly-debuted soloist already at the top of several charts had given Yixing the shock of his life. These days the novelty has worn off, and Yixing’s used to watching one of South Korea’s most beloved singers do things like eat kimchi with his fingers.

“You should call Chanyeol.” Jongdae advises. “He’s usually right about these things, and it would help you write happier songs.”

“Why do you think getting into a relationship is going to make me write anything happier?” Yixing grumbles. “You saw how my last relationship went.”

Jongdae has the gall to laugh. “Your lack of a relationship certainly isn’t doing you any favours right now. I almost cried listening to ‘Summer Night,’ it was so pitiful.”

It’s one of Yixing’s most recent songs, and his latest all-kill. He can only assume it’s because a majority of listeners are just as pitiful and lonely as he is.

Yixing’s about to reply when he sees the screen door rattle open behind Jongdae’s shoulder. Jongdae turns around, lighting up completely and Yixing knows that it’s the industry’s worst-kept-secret-boyfriend, Kim Minseok.

“Talk to Chanyeol.” Jongdae says, already distracted, arms reaching out for Minseok. “Don’t forget to introduce me to your new boyfriend!”

 

\--

 

But when Yixing asks Chanyeol about it the following day, Chanyeol snorts. “I know I told Jongdae I had someone for you to meet, but I actually meant for work. I don’t think Jongdae thinks about anything other than your love life.”

“It’s for a mobile game, you're going to love it.” Chanyeol says, going over to Yixing’s workspace and crouching down beside it, waiting for the sound system to connect to his laptop. He’s still carrying his guitar on his back despite having stepped into Yixing’s apartment fifteen minutes prior. Yixing kind of wants to wrestle it off his shoulder.

“A game?” He echoes uncertainly. “I’ve never thought about writing game music.”

“You will. I've got a sample file, check it out.”

The melody that fills the room begins on a series of major chords Yixing's almost forgotten exists. He writes songs in minor keys and listens to songs in minor keys so he can write more songs in minor keys— it's a terrible cycle.  In contrast, the music that flutters out of Yixing's speakers is unlike anything Yixing's listened to recently. It's whimsical, lively and fun, and Yixing sinks onto his bed when he notices the tinkling bells in the background of the track.

Yixing can tell it’s experimental work, it’s rough around the edges and the music doesn’t quite match up in some places, but none of it detracts from the sheer brilliance of the soundscape. The layering is gentle and unobtrusive, and it reminds Yixing strongly of the puppies he used to babysit— bright, irresistible and delicate at the same time.

The song is unapologetically happy and Yixing, who has spent the past six months writing music about the inevitability of loss, is stunned by how strongly the new emotion sweeps through him.

Two minutes go by in the blink of an eye. Chanyeol spins around in his chair, nodding like he’d expected this reaction all along. Perhaps he has. “Yeah?” He says. “Want me to introduce you?”

 

\--

 

For all that he’s good at reading people, Chanyeol’s inexcusably bad at describing them. “He’s totally your type.” Chanyeol had said on the phone that morning, after texting Yixing the details of the meeting. “Very cute and very loud.”

“That’s my potential boss you’re talking about there, Chanyeol. And what kind of physical trait is _loud_?” Yixing asks. 

The café is a juxtaposition of eclectic themes, a mismatched combination of modern furniture with vintage finishings. A string of lightbulbs meet with Yixing’s forehead as he steps into the shop, but the aroma of coffee and baked goods is more than enough to make up for it. He strains his eyes to search for his contact, but almost every table in the café is occupied, and nearly half the patrons fit Chanyeol’s feeble description.

Yixing’s in the process of looking up Chanyeol’s number on his phone when he feels someone trying to squeeze past behind him.  He steps forward to let the person pass, and nearly collides with an entering customer.

The young man looks startled to find Yixing’s face hovering so close to his, and Yixing yanks away.

“Sorry!”

“Don’t worry about— oh!” The young man breaks off mid-sentence, expression shifting to delight so rapidly it makes Yixing dizzy. “You must be Yixing!”

“No.” Yixing says, suddenly flustered.

“I’m Baekhyun. You’re Chanyeol’s composer friend, right?” He says, extending a hand to Yixing. Yixing takes it, and momentarily forgets that he’s meant to give it back. “Sorry, I stepped out to buy something for a minute. I got us a table, come on.”

Baekhyun leads them to a sturdy round table near the back of the café, papers messily strewn about and laptop already set up as though he’s been there for awhile.

“I got you a vanilla latte, we can share the cake. Is that okay?” Baekhyun says, sliding a mug over to Yixing and glancing up at him for approval.

 _Oh my god_ , Yixing thinks. Chanyeol was exactly right. Baekhyun talks so quickly, and he’s so lovely up close. It’s impossible to expect Yixing to put together a proper sentence in Mandarin, much less in Korean.

“Hello.” He says instead, sinking down into the chair across from Baekhyun.

“Straight to the point, huh? Okay, we can talk about work. Let me get the project pulled up.” Baekhyun chatters on even as he scrolls through something on his laptop, eyes focused on the screen. Yixing studies the cluster of bunny stickers and decals over the cover of the laptop, and swipes a shaky hand across his face.

“Did you listen to the sample track? My friend put it together for me but he’s too busy to do the game itself. I’m making a bunny cooking game.”

“A bunny cooking game?” Yixing repeats. The stickers make sense now, somewhat. Although— “Do the bunnies cook, or are they being cooked?”

Baekhyun looks up, alarmed. Yixing curses his mouth for running without checking with his brain first, but then Baekhyun laughs, eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Waiter, there’s a hare in my soup.” Baekhyun sings cheerfully. Yixing’s chest loosens. “Sorry to disappoint you, but it’s the first. Maybe the sequel can be the other way around.”

He turns the laptop so he can show Yixing the screen. Several animated rabbits chase each other through a meadow before falling through the ground and ending up in an adorable jelly-like kitchen.

“I need about twelve tracks. Twenty minutes, at most.” Baekhyun says, leaning over the table to press the start button. _‘Hello! My name is'_  says a rabbit wearing a gingham apron, its ears tied back with a matching ribbon.

“Let me show you the different levels.” Baekhyun says, scooting over into the seat right up against Yixing’s elbow. His fingers move deftly over the keyboard; Yixing feels his face heat up. 

Baekhyun flips through the different levels, gingham bunny-chef working its way up from a fast food joint to a rooftop dining bar. Yixing manages a quick glimpse of the various dishes required to pass each challenge, looking more and more formidable with every level. His mouth waters just at the sight of them.

Barely five minutes have passed before Baekhyun’s sitting back, smiling that devastating smile at Yixing again. This time, it’s closer and more potent than before. “So, what do you think? Do you want to make bunny music together?” 

 

\--

 

Chanyeol calls back when Yixing’s in the middle of making dinner. “How did your meeting with Baekhyun go?”

“We shared a cake. It was tiramisu.” Yixing says. He turns the stove down and props his phone up against the spice rack. “Park Chanyeol, were you setting me up for an interview or a date?”

“Well, did you get a boyfriend or a job?” Chanyeol asks, chuckling at his own joke.

“I didn’t get either, I told him I’d think about it. Just tell me if it was a hookup in disguise.” Yixing groans. He wouldn’t put it past Jongdae to orchestrate a meeting like this, but Chanyeol generally has a little more sense and a lot less time for such games. “You know I don’t date people I’m working with.” 

“You’re in luck.” Chanyeol informs him. “Neither does Baekhyun. You’re two of the most stringent people I know when it comes to work-romance relationships. If he offered you the job, it’s entirely possible that he’s not interested in dating you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yixing demands. “You told me I was going for a job discussion. Would he have changed the point of the meeting based on how much he liked me?”

“Why do you sound so upset?” Chanyeol says. “Baekhyun’s not _that_ great of a catch. He’s awfully noisy. Take the job, I’ll find you someone else to date.”

Yixing turns the stove off and throws himself onto the sofa. He’s been thinking about Baekhyun all day, the way he moved his hands when he talked, and hung onto Yixing’s every word whenever Yixing opened his mouth. He’s certain it is an infatuation that will soon fade, but at the present Yixing would really, really prefer a boyfriend over a job.

“Are you even thinking about the work itself?” Chanyeol sighs. “I thought it would be a good change for you. Remember how much you liked the idea of the music before you were derailed by Baekhyun’s face? Can you focus on that?”

“I do like the job. The game was great too. It’s cute and lovely and light-hearted and it has a wonderful smile.” Yixing insists.

“Oh boy.” Chanyeol says. “Okay, I’m going to find someone else. You seem a little distracted.”

“No!” Yixing bursts out. He feels like he’s in high school all over again, letting his feelings get in the way of work. He’s better than that, now. “I like the job, I really do. Give me a night to sleep on it. I’ll have forgotten Baekhyun’s face by tomorrow, I can do the work. Maybe we can talk through email for most of it, so I won’t have to look at his face."

“That was somehow both incredibly sweet and offensive at the same time.” Chanyeol says. Yixing hears him tapping a rhythm out beside the phone, forever a body in motion.

“If anyone can do it, it’s you, hyung. Good luck.” He hesitates, then adds, “Baekhyun’s serious about his games, so think it through properly, okay? Don’t mess things up just because you want to get into his pants.”

Yixing hasn’t even thought about Baekhyun’s pants. Mostly he wants to see Baekhyun smile again and watch him eat more cake, but he gets Chanyeol’s message.

“I wouldn’t do that.” He says softly.

Chanyeol’s fingers stop their drumming. “I know.”

 

\--

 

Yixing takes the job.

It’s easy at first, in the sense that he genuinely enjoys the work he’s doing. He listens to the sample track on loop, installs new instruments and spends hours discovering sounds. For the past six months, he’s been writing music exclusively for Bastiste, and as successful as they are, it's a project that falls relatively safely within Yixing’s comfort zone.

Composing for a game is entirely different.

Baekhyun sends him a download link for the game, and Yixing plays it through again and again. He familiarizes himself with the environments, takes note of little details that he can incorporate into the music, and keeps playing because he can’t stop.

Every touch of Baekhyun’s game is magic packed in pixel-form. Yixing revels in the colors, fluid movement and succinct designs of every single element. He dices onions and nearly burns them because he’s so fascinated by the sizzle of oil. He plays the hand-tossed-pizza level five times in a row because he’s enraptured with the necessary hand movements of the task.

Yixing writes so many snippets of music during the first week of work that his walls become plastered with notes and crooked staves. The game is quirky and lighthearted, and Yixing sifts through the web for days, looking for the right instruments to convey the desired effect.

Baekhyun agrees to communicating through emails, texts and phone calls. He’s a great client to work with, his advice always thoughtful and astute. He teaches Yixing loop progressions that don’t sound repetitive, gently calling Yixing out if he gets too carried away with the xylophones.

The weeks go by, and eventually they put together a preliminary soundtrack that Baekhyun slowly layers into the game. Playing the game again, this time with the tracks that Yixing’s poured so much work into, nearly reduces Yixing to tears. He laughs helplessly, unable to stop listening to the cheerful, airy tunes. He overcooks his steak at least three consecutive times, and while the bunny customers give him unhappy looks, Yixing couldn’t be happier.

As a job, it is already one of the best Yixing’s had.

But while physically keeping away from Baekhyun had seemed like a good solution at the time, Baekhyun’s appearance turns out to be only the tip of the iceberg. Even without the visual aspect to their conversations, Yixing loves listening to Baekhyun talk about new updates and the little changes he’s made based on beta feedback. He loves cheering Baekhyun on whenever he finishes a round of debugging, and on the rare occasions when Baekhyun talks about his day, Yixing finds himself falling harder than ever.

Yixing tries his best to maintain a professional distance. He’s always kept work and romance separate, and he’s not going to stop now. As long as he’s working for Baekhyun, he refuses to even entertain thoughts about holding Baekhyun’s hand, taking him out for dates and listening to his laughter.

Even if there’s nothing in the world he wants more.

 

\--

 

Yixing’s browsing potatoes in the grocery store several blocks from his apartment when he sees Baekhyun again. It’s the first time he’s stepped out of his house in days, and Yixing’s still wearing the clothes he woke up in that morning when Baekhyun pops up from behind the heads of cabbages, startling him half to death.

“I saw you walk in from across the street and I thought I’d come say hi.” Baekhyun says, peering into Yixing’s shopping basket and beaming at him for reasons Yixing cannot be sure of. “How are you doing?”

Baekhyun’s dressed a lot simpler than the last time Yixing saw him, in a tucked-in T-shirt and his hair falling loosely around his face. Yixing had convinced himself that his memory of Baekhyun was just an inflated fantasy, but he looks even better than Yixing remembers.  Yixing shakes his head.

“Do you live in the neighborhood? I’ve never seen you around before.”

“Nah, I was supposed to be meeting someone, but I was stood up.” Baekhyun answers. “Actually, he told me he didn’t want to see me and I didn’t believe him so I showed up anyway. It’s my fault, really.”

Yixing frowns, but Baekhyun’s already strolling down the next aisle. Yixing’s not sure if Baekhyun expects him to follow and stares down at the tomatoes instead.

“Want to go grab dinner together?” He hears Baekhyun ask, and he looks over to find Baekhyun engrossed in reading the label of an instant-pizza mix. Yixing hastily jogs to catch up with Baekhyun before he realizes that Yixing isn’t standing behind him.  

He’s just in time. Baekhyun turns to face him, looking earnestly at Yixing for an answer.

“There’s a good pizza place nearby.” Yixing suggests. He takes the just-add-water pizza mix out of Baekhyun’s hands and puts it back on the shelf.

Baekhyun laughs at him. “Nearby pizza place sounds good.”

“Hold on, let me just put this back—” Yixing says, waving at his groceries. “I’ll get them later.”

“Don’t be silly, I’ll wait! I can help you carry your groceries back to your house, too.” Baekhyun says. Yixing flails internally, trying to recall what state he’d left his flat in. He can’t remember if he’d made his bed, and he knows that there are unwashed dishes in his sink.

Fortunately, when they step into Yixing’s apartment, the bedroom door is ajar and the bed is neatly made, as far as Yixing can tell. He invites Baekhyun to have a seat on the sofa while he hurries to put his groceries away, trying to picture his home the way Baekhyun must be seeing it.     

His flat is very utilitarian, Yixing frets. He never really spends any time outside of his bedroom unless he’s cooking and eating, and the view from the sofa where Baekhyun is sitting definitely has room for improvement.  There's a widescreen tv and a too-large cabinet, glass shelves empty.  Had he put the photographs that Chanyeol sent him into the frames after all, or were they still empty? Yixing cranes his neck to glance back into the living room, and clocks his head against the open refrigerator door.

The view outside the window is nice, though. Yixing had chosen this particular unit because it overlooked a small park, and Yixing sometimes watched the evening joggers pass beneath his window, tried to imagine what they were listening to and how it affected their run. He’d composed an entire song to the pace of the old man in a red tracksuit once, a beat that Chanyeol listened to for a month nonstop.

There are plants by the windowsill too, Jongdae and Minseok brought them over when he first moved in and it’s a wonder that they’re still alive. Yixing talks to them sometimes, talks to them more than he waters them, but it seems to be doing the job.

It’s not a terrible home, Yixing has decided, by the time he emerges from the kitchen. Baekhyun’s gotten up from the sofa and is standing by the window, and he turns around when he hears Yixing approach.

“There’s a really cute puppy!” Baekhyun says, fluttering his hands in excitement. Yixing wonders what it would take to bottle that smile, how much it would cost for a lifetime’s supply. Too much, probably. Yixing will have to move out of his apartment and live under Jongdae’s coffee table, and there will be no more puppy, no more music, and Baekhyun will no longer want anything to do with him.

Yixing shakes his head. “There are lots of fluffy dogs in this neighborhood. We can go for a walk after dinner, if you’d like.” Yixing offers, and he’s temporarily blinded by the ensuing happiness.

Maybe Yixing won’t have to buy anything, after all. Baekhyun’s smile is best like this, so freely given, his laughter like sung poetry.

 

\--

 

Baekhyun takes to the little park keenly, constantly inviting Yixing for long walks to see if his favourite dog is out. Before Yixing knows it, the strolls turn into work sessions at cafés, and the work sessions turn into them getting dinner together, be it at a restaurant or in Yixing’s apartment, cooking or ordering takeout.

Yixing often watches Baekhyun sketch in his notebook, chewing on the end of his pencil while he thinks. He draws with his left hand sometimes, when he’s restless or bored or not making any progress. He says it helps him think of new ideas— sometimes he tries to draw a camel and it ends up a dinosaur.

All the best things work out like that, Baekhyun says. Happy accidents.

He loses pencils behind his ears, which Yixing’s never actually seen anyone do before, and once, when they were eating cake, misplaces his fork. Yixing had looked up from his own work to find Baekhyun staring down at the pencil in his cake, bewildered, with a fork sticking out from the side of his head.

Yixing likes a lot of things about Baekhyun, even if they’re silly.

“You told me Baekhyun doesn’t date the people he works with.” Yixing says to Chanyeol. “This is worse. This is infinitely worse.”

“You could just ask him out.” Chanyeol says. “I’m pretty sure you’re his type, too. He might be willing to make an exception if you are.”

But Yixing has seen too many relationships ruined by work, too many businesses felled by romance. Yixing wants Baekhyun’s game to succeed even more than he wants to hold Baekhyun’s hand. There’s a hopeful twinge in his heart that Baekhyun feels the same, when he sees Baekhyun’s fingers reach across the table absently and grab the saltshaker one too many times.

They frequently return to the coffee shop where they first met, and it’s during one of these visits that Yixing meets Baekhyun’s best friend, Kyungsoo.

“It’s my best friend, Kyungsoo!” Baekhyun trills, weaving through the maze of furniture towards the young man with wide eyes and a solemn expression. “Hello, best friend Kyungsoo!”

“No, Baekhyun. I’m trying to do work.” Kyungsoo says sternly, even though he’s already moving his papers out of the way so Baekhyun can set the basket of fries down.

“This was my favourite coffee shop first. You only started coming here because I introduced you to it.” Baekhyun says, stealing a forkful of Kyungsoo’s half-eaten pasta. He turns to Yixing. “Hyung, you should thank Kyungsoo! He’s the one who stood me up the other day, and if he hadn’t we wouldn’t have become such good friends!”

“You’re welcome.” Kyungsoo says. “I’m more than happy to do it again any time.”

“Kyungsoo helped me out a lot with the recipes for the game.” Baekhyun continues, unperturbed. “It wouldn’t be nearly as good as it is now without him.”

“What he means is I was the only person who answered his three a.m. calls, asking things like ‘what happens if I fry an egg without breaking it first?’” He pulls his bowl out of Baekhyun’s reach after Baekhyun’s taken two more bites, flicking him on the forehead. “Why must you make so many cooking games? I thought my days of suffering were over when you finished your last game. I even bought myself a slice of cake and everything.”

“I might make a whole series.” Baekhyun says. “Since the last one did so well.”

Kyungsoo groans. “Can you cook, Yixing-ssi? Baekhyun, please redirect any future questions to your new friend.”

“I don’t mind.” Yixing says honestly. “Baekhyun? Do you want the pasta? I can go order another.” 

Kyungsoo laughs out loud. It’s startles all three of them, including Kyungsoo, who scowls immediately after. To Baekhyun, he says, “Get your own pasta.”

Baekhyun pouts at Kyungsoo, who is apparently completely immune, and Yixing gets the brunt of the attack in the crossfire. He stands on wobbly legs, about to head to the counter, when Kyungsoo gives a tiny shake of his head. Yixing drops back into his seat, confused.

“I’ll get more cake.” Baekhyun decides, unaware of the silent conversation going on to his side. He’s gone before Yixing can offer to go with him.

Yixing shrivels up under Kyungsoo’s gaze, contemplating hurrying after Baekhyun anyway, when Kyungsoo says, “I’ll answer one question.”

Yixing looks over at him. “What?”

“Baekhyun’s gone. You’re sitting with the best friend. I'll answer one question.”

“You don’t want to ask me anything?”

“I already know everything there is to know about you.” Kyungsoo says. “Do you think I make this offer to just anyone?”

Yixing would probably find the conversation a lot more sinister if he weren’t so pleased by Kyungsoo’s words. 

“You approve of me?” He asks, feeling fuzzy all over. If Kyungsoo approves of him, it means there’s something to approve of. There’s surely a more subtle way to phrase what he says next, but Yixing’s too giddy to care. “Baekhyun really likes me? I’m not imagining it?”

“Likes you?” Kyungsoo repeats. He looks aghast. “You both spent the entire weekend eating ice cream and visiting bunny cafés, chasing dogs in the park and doing god-knows-what-else. Barely an hour after he reaches home, he sends you a goodnight selfie, as if you hadn’t had to look at his face all weekend. Yixing-ssi, this has happened for the past four weeks.”

“I liked looking at his selfie.” Yixing says. “It was cute. Wait, why do you know about the selfie?”

“Who do you think is assigned quality control on the photos before the final product makes it to you? He certainly doesn’t filter his photos for quality when he sends them to _me_.” 

“Oh.” Yixing says, feeling an odd sense of jealousy. It's nice that Baekhyun wants to send Yixing only the best photos, but Yixing wouldn't have minded all the others, too. 

“He’s on his way back, you've wasted your question.” Kyungsoo says, looking behind Yixing and lowering his gaze to his papers. Yixing takes it as a sign that the conversation is over.

“It’s okay.” Yixing says, as Baekhyun returns to the table. He slides into the chair next to Yixing this time, and smiles when he catches Yixing’s gaze, sliding an extra fork over to him.

It’s not a waste. There’s nothing else Yixing needs to know about Baekhyun. He thinks he knows enough, little pieces picked up from all their time together— Yixing’s very good at paying attention to the things he deems important. He wants to discover the details gradually, like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. Baekhyun’s worth the work.

And if Kyungsoo is right, and Baekhyun likes Yixing as much as Yixing likes him, they’ll have plenty of time to figure out the rest. 

 

\--

 

Yixing completes the music two days before Baekhyun is due to fly to Tokyo for a game convention. There’s little else to be done to the songs, just a few minor changes Yixing’s thought of in the past week, wanting everything to be nothing short of perfect when Baekhyun presents it at the convention.

Baekhyun practices his Japanese at the kitchen table while Yixing cooks, and for the first time, when his arm accidentally brushes against Yixing’s at the table, he stays.

He falls asleep on Yixing’s bed shortly after midnight with the headphones still on, the beachfront restaurant theme playing on loop, cowbells and the gentle sound of waves lapping against the shore. It’ll be stuck in his head all of tomorrow, and he won’t know why. Very carefully, Yixing removes the headphones from over Baekhyun’s ears.

Baekhyun sleeps on, and Yixing works. He’s mindful of keeping the noise level down, humming quietly when he’s trying to lay down a sound but never loud enough to wake Baekhyun. He stops grating his chair against the floorboards, and in the silence, Yixing opens up the final track and gets to work.

At two in the morning, he finally pushes away from his workspace. Baekhyun hasn’t woken, will probably continue to sleep until morning. Yixing pulls a spare blanket out from the closet and takes it out to the sofa, even though he knows Baekhyun won’t mind sharing the bed.

It’s done, Yixing thinks, as he lies on the sofa staring into the darkness. It’s perfect, and Yixing isn’t even being boastful. He knows they’ve done a good job, him and Baekhyun.

In less than a week’s time, the game will go live. Everything Yixing’s feared about working with Baekhyun, none of them have come true. Instead, the tiny flame in the cage of his ribs stirs gently, reminding him, _soon._

 

\--

 

He wakes up the next morning to Baekhyun leaning over him, and for several seconds is convinced that he’s still dreaming.

“Sorry!” Baekhyun says. He’s eating one of Yixing’s bagels, and squeezes Yixing’s arm with his free hand, promptly dispelling the remaining tendrils of sleep. “I need to head out for a meeting, but I didn’t want to leave without saying anything. Thanks for letting me stay the night. 

Yixing sits up as Baekhyun flits to the door, pulling his shoes on. He doesn’t need Yixing’s help, he’s been over enough times to know how to let himself out.

Yixing’s voice is still scratchy in his throat, but he catches Baekhyun before he get the door open. “I’ve finished the last song, Baekhyun. We’re done.”

Baekhyun raises his eyes to meet Yixing’s gaze, unwavering. Yixing swallows.

“Okay.” Baekhyun says. “I’ll listen to it and add it to the game. Thank you, hyung. I’ve really enjoyed working with you.”

To Yixing, it sounds like a promise.

Later, when he’s brushing his teeth, Yixing notices something in the corner of his bathroom mirror. He leans closer, and immediately smiles.

Yixing runs his fingers over it, a sticker of a tiny bunny blowing kisses.

 

\--

 

Seoul on a rainy day has a soundtrack that Yixing will never get used to. Yixing spent a childhood memorizing the patter of the raindrops, and the timbre of each sound depending on the surface that they touched. He’d considered himself quite the expert in this particular genre, but moving to Seoul and listening to the first downpour had taken his breath away.

It’s raining when Baekhyun video calls him five days later from his hotel room in Tokyo. Yixing’s been sitting by the window all day, listening to the calming lull of rain hitting the canvas awning outside. Traffic sounds softer when it rains, water parting in little waves whenever a vehicle passes. Conversely, footsteps are louder, a wet slap against pavement that is sometimes punctuated by laughter or a shriek. 

It’s a live sound, less predictable than the ocean, or a forest. Yixing thinks it’s one of Seoul’s best tracks.

“I love it here.” Baekhyun tells Yixing during the phone call. He’s lying on his side, curled in bed with his hands tucked under his chin. Yixing hopes his pillows are fluffy and soft, his bed warm. “It’s been hectic, but fun. I just had dinner with an entire table of really talented people, and a few of them even said they’ve played my previous game.”

“A journalist from _Issen_ gave me a five-minute interview yesterday. She says to keep an eye out for the next issue. I’m really happy, hyung.” Baekhyun confesses, and Yixing’s heart feels three sizes too big for his chest.

Outside, the rain keeps falling. Yixing doesn’t hear any of it, drinking in the sound of Baekhyun’s voice instead, the tiny yawns that punctuate every other sentence. They continue talking for almost an hour, Baekhyun sleepy and forgetful but excited nevertheless, retelling every detail of the past few days in a way that Yixing can barely get a word in.

Yixing doesn’t mind. He’s simply glad to be with Baekhyun, experience such a big part of his life together. Yixing misses Baekhyun a lot, which is a weird feeling because he’s used to going weeks at a time without seeing his friends, sometimes even months, if he’s exceptionally busy.

He should chide Baekhyun to go to sleep, but he doesn’t want to hang up, and he doesn’t think Baekhyun wants to either. So, it’s how Yixing finds himself staring at Baekhyun’s sleeping profile at half-past-one in the morning, Baekhyun having drifted off to sleep mid-sentence. The lock of hair that’s fallen across Baekhyun’s eyes tickles his nose with every breath, and suddenly Yixing’s not sure he can wait any longer.

He adores Baekhyun, he’s never been more sure of anything. For a brief, exhilarating moment, Yixing longs to wake Baekhyun up to tell him he loves him. He wants to hear Baekhyun’s laughter, the clear, delighted noise that never fails to brighten Yixing’s day. Perhaps that, instead, is Seoul’s best track. Yixing might write a song for it next, an entire album dedicated the sound of Baekhyun’s laughter.  

It’ll be his finest work, a million-record-seller, sold-out shows in Jamsil Stadium. He could listen to it for the rest of his life. He’s so hopelessly in love with Baekhyun, and more than anything, he just wants Baekhyun to _know_.

In the end, it’s the soft whisper of Baekhyun’s breathing that holds Yixing back. Baekhyun will be home in two days. He wants to wait, wants to tell Baekhyun in person to see Baekhyun’s too-bright smile and to take Baekhyun in his arms. 

Yixing sighs.

“I love you, Baekhyunnie.” He whispers, wishing he could reach through the phone to brush Baekhyun’s hair out of his face. Baekhyun doesn’t stir, and Yixing flicks off his bedside lamp.

He falls asleep curled up beside Baekhyun, five hundred miles apart.

 

\--

 

The tv runs quietly in the dim light of Chanyeol’s apartment, and Yixing flicks through the channels yet again, even knowing that he won’t find anything he’s interested in. Chanyeol had invited him over for dinner, a combination of feeling sorry for Yixing and actually wanting Yixing’s help with something.

Advice sought and given, Chanyeol’s long-since retired to his study to compose, and probably has no idea Yixing’s still in his apartment. Yixing drops the remote on his stomach and fiddles with the loose threads of a cushion, not wanting to go home yet.

It’s been maybe five minutes of aimless musing when his phone rings, cutting through the silence. Baekhyun’s photo appears on the screen, and Yixing snatches it off the coffee table. It’s only a day before Baekhyun’s scheduled to fly back. The butterflies in Yixing’s stomach couldn’t be more thrilled.

Yixing swings his legs off the sofa. “Chanyeol, I’m going up to the roof!” He calls at Chanyeol’s closed door, taking the spare keys off the hook.

“Hyung, do you have time tonight?” Baekhyun says, once Yixing’s settled on a lounge chair on the roof of Chanyeol’s apartment building. He used to come up here with Chanyeol to drink whenever they had emotional news of any kind, be it good or bad. “Do you have time to play the game? I’m including a bonus level, but I want to know what you think about it first.”

“You had time to make another level?” Yixing asks, already opening the email that Baekhyun’s sent him and downloading the new file. It’s what Baekhyun used to do all the time when they worked on the music, lock updates so only the both of them could access it. Yixing wonders if any of Baekhyun's new friends had the opportunity to try the bonus level before Yixing did.

“I’ve been working on it for awhile. Being here in Japan’s finally convinced me to finish it.” Baekhyun says slowly.  He gives Yixing a crooked smile.  "It's a bit different from the other levels."

“I’m sure it’s great.” Yixing assures him. “You want to stay on the line while I play?”

“You’re playing it now? This very moment?”

“Should I wait?”

“Oh. No, I’ll hang up. Call me back once you’re done!” Baekhyun says nervously.

Yixing makes himself comfortable, wishing he’d brought something to snack on when he sees the familiar sight of food loading onto the screen. He pulls up the levels menu, skipping straight to the new bonus level. 

“What are we cooking today, Baekhyun?” Yixing hums, watching his bunny-chef hop behind the kitchen counter of what seems to be a normal household kitchen. Yixing’s proud of how far they’ve come, bunny-Yixing now dressed in layers atop layers of gaudy accessories. His glittery apron cape is the most expensive thing in the store, and Yixing has it in two colours.

The screen zooms in to focus on the kitchen table, and Yixing lets out a surprised laugh when he finds the ingredients for a spring roll laid neatly across the chopping board. Yixing’s lamented about missing the spring rolls from home to Baekhyun before, not knowing Baekhyun was going to build a game around it.

Smiling fondly, Yixing begins cutting the carrots into little hearts. Baekhyun’s clearly put in a lot of work on research, and Yixing doesn’t stop grinning as he cooks the vegetables, glass noodles and nimbly rolls everything into shape. 

The bunny customers love the dish, sending him so many coins he can almost afford a third glittery coat. He spends the last portion of food feeding a family of ten, and once they’re gone, collects the gifts from the empty tables. Instead of the score chart that Yixing expects, the door of the restaurant opens again, and a new bunny wanders in. Yixing halts midway through the process of watching his coins roll in at the top of the screen.

“I don’t have any more food.” Yixing says to it, tapping the screen to see if it’s a glitch, but the bunny walks up to Yixing’s character at the kitchen counter instead of taking a seat.  

“Today’s earnings can also be accepted in the form of kisses!” The dialogue window reads beneath the new bunny.

“What is this.” Yixing says to himself. He tilts his head, leaning in to read the tiny inscribed 'bbh' on the chef’s hat. There’s something _highly_  suspicious going on.

He taps the ‘next' button. “I’m so proud of you!” Says the bunny, outstretching its short, rounded arms towards Yixing’s character. “Will you accept a kiss for your hard work?”

Yixing’s jaw drops. The new bunny continues to bounce up and down patiently, waiting for Yixing to select an option. Weakly, Yixing taps the ‘yes’ button.  The screen erupts into confetti hearts, stars falling from the sky as the bunnies mash their faces together. Baekhyun has fortunately the presence of mind to leave out the details and it’s a cute, albeit mortifying, sight. 

'I LIKE YOU,' reads the banner unrolling at the top of the screen. 'Will you please be my boyfriend?'

Yixing inhales sharply, accidentally hitting his head against the frame of the chair when he leans back. He stares at the screen for eternity, moving only to turn it on again when it goes to sleep. The words are still there, pink and yellow and simultaneously the best and worst thing Yixing has ever seen. It’s another eternity before Yixing closes the game so he can call Baekhyun.

Baekhyun’s face comes on screen at once.

“I can’t believe you.” Yixing says, to Baekhyun’s taken aback expression, “I spent the entire time you were away thinking about what I should say when you got back. I had it all planned out, it was going to be sweet and romantic and there were maybe candles involved. And you beat me to it with this— PG13 bunny kiss that I somehow find the cutest thing on the planet because it’s so, impossibly _you_.”

“Is that a yes?” Baekhyun asks hesitantly.

“Of course it’s a yes!” Yixing says, curling up in the lounge chair again. He’s thinking about the heart-shaped carrots, the ridiculous confession, and the fact that Baekhyun’s penchant for being embarrassing has done little to decrease Yixing’s infatuation with him. “Couldn’t you wait one more day? How am I supposed to claim my congratulations now?”

Baekhyun laughs, and there’s a sweet flush rising in cheeks. Yixing longs to touch him, and leans towards the phone as if it can make up for the distance.

“I like you too and I’d love to be your boyfriend, Baekhyunnie. What time will my new boyfriend be back tomorrow so I can kiss him?” Yixing says, delighting when Baekhyun’s blush goes bright pink.

Baekhyun makes a high-pitched noise. “My flight’s at six in the evening. Kyungsoo’s picking me up and we’re having dinner. I’ll call you once I get home?”

“Come over.” Yixing says. “Don’t go home. Get Kyungsoo to drop you off at my place after your dinner.”

 "You're cute, Zhang Yixing,"  Baekhyun says.  "Consider your wish granted."

Yixing receives two photographs from Baekhyun the next day. One is the breathtaking view of Tokyo city and the Skytree, and the other is a blurry selfie of Baekhyun’s smiling face with practically no background in sight. It's a terrible photo in terms of quality, but Baekhyun's eyes are bright with happiness and Yixing knows, that this photo is his alone.

 

\--

 

Yixing’s been pacing the lobby of his apartment complex for about thirty minutes now, ever since Baekhyun texted to tell him he was on the way. The automated glass doors slide open each time Yixing passes beneath the sensors, and the security guard eventually chases Yixing out to stand on the steps beside the driveway instead.

Yixing can’t help squinting through the tinted windows of every car, wearing holes in his shoes with each nervous scuff against the pavement. He wants Baekhyun so badly he thinks he can actually feel his heart ache. Yixing presses a palm over his chest, taking in a deep breath.

“Hyung!” He hears, just as he’s starting to pace again. Yixing whirls around.

A car is turning into the circular driveway, and as it comes closer he sees Baekhyun leaning out the window of the passenger’s side, waving an arm wildly over his head. Baekhyun’s joy lights up his entire face, and Yixing knows he’s grinning back just as brightly.

And it’s the stupidest, cheesiest thing, Yixing sprinting towards the car as though it’s been seven years since they last saw each other, not seven days. Yixing restrains himself before Kyungsoo runs him over, but Baekhyun has no such qualms. He throws the door open before the car has fully come to the stop and all of a sudden Yixing has his arms full of a fluffy, giggling Baekhyun.

 “You’re so—” Yixing begins, and doesn’t get to finish his sentence, because the rest of his body collectively decides that kissing Baekhyun is more important than anything he has to say. Baekhyun lets out a surprised squeak and surges up to return the kiss, arms looping around Yixing’s neck.

“Hello.” Baekhyun says, smiling that same, lovely smile that Yixing fell for all those months ago. This time, Yixing cradles his palm against a warm, smiling cheek, and doesn’t hesitate to lean in for another kiss.

 

\--

 

“I downloaded your game when it was released yesterday.” Jongdae says over the phone the next morning. Yixing’s making breakfast in the kitchen, and he can hear Baekhyun singing in the shower down the hall.

“Did you play it?” Yixing asks, licking pancake batter off his thumb.

“Duh.” Jongdae says. He angles his camera and Yixing looks over at his screen to see Minseok, tapping vigorously on his phone. “I finished it last night, and now Minseok’s playing. The music really suits you too, I liked it a lot more than your _Blood Summer_ album.”

“That’s not fair. You’re comparing two very different genres.” Yixing says, but he knows he’s smiling.

“I have a question, though.” Jongdae says. The phone camera shutters as Jongdae messes with something on the screen. “Who is ‘bbh’ and why do they want to make out with me?”

 Yixing squawks, splashing milk over the stovetop when he grabs his phone. Jongdae’s sent him a screenshot, and Yixing nearly overbalances face-first into the kitchen table.

“Baekhyun!” Yixing calls, horror spreading through him.

“What is it? Oh, you made breakfast!” Baekhyun says, clapping his hands together as he steps out of the bedroom, toweled-dry hair sticking up in every direction. 

Yixing pushes the screen of his phone toward Baekhyun’s face. “You released the confession as part of the actual game? What were you thinking?”

“Did I really?” Baekhyun says, eyes widening. “I was so excited about you saying yes that I must have uploaded the wrong version!”

Yixing shakes him as Baekhyun laughs until his knees go weak, clinging onto Yixing for support.

“Hello, you must be Baekhyun. When can I claim that kiss?” Jongdae hums, studying Baekhyun a little more closely than Yixing’s comfortable with. Yixing cuts the connection on the phone to Jongdae’s gleeful cackling.

“What are you doing?” Yixing says, yanking Baekhyun away when he leans over to inspect the pancakes, seemingly over his initial panic.  "Your game needs fixing!'

“Don’t I get morning kisses first? Aren’t you happy to see me?” Baekhyun asks cheerfully. “I’m even wearing your shirt.”

He is. Yixing laughs, incredulous. Baekhyun winks at him, splaying his hands over the shirt so Yixing can admire it. 

“Okay, one kiss.” Yixing relents.

Baekhyun springs at Yixing so quickly he steps on both Yixing’s feet and knocks him to the tiled kitchen floor.

“Oww.” Yixing says, but then he’s kissing Baekhyun, blissfully reminded of the soft mouth he’d spent so much of last night familiarizing himself with. Baekhyun’s kisses are every bit as sweet as his smile, and he tilts easily towards Yixing, eager and pliant under Yixing’s attention. Yixing can smell the scent of his shampoo in Baekhyun’s hair and it makes his stomach swoop, fingers tightening around Baekhyun's shower-warmed skin.  It seems like no time at all has passed when Baekhyun finally gives Yixing’s bottom lip a playful nip and pulls away.

“I’ll be back.” Baekhyun says, patting Yixing’s cheek, grinning. He climbs off Yixing’s lap and turns to head back to the bedroom. “I have some damage control to do. When I come back we can have breakfast, and then more kissing.”

Yixing, still a little dazed, props himself against the kitchen counter, staring at Baekhyun’s retreating back. He’s still there when Baekhyun returns, and if they complete their morning agenda in reverse of the order Baekhyun suggested, Yixing’s not complaining, at all.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> _(\\_/)  
> (･ × ･)
> 
> Carrot Chef! Update - Version 1.13.2  
> * Bunny bbh has been removed from the bonus level. Bbh has found the perfect boyfriend and is no longer offering kisses in exchange for congratulations. We wish you all the best in your love and life, and hope you continue to enjoy the game!


End file.
